What body type?

What year?

What's your Budget?

Total Price

Per Week

Calculations are based on an interest rate of 10% per annum over a 3 year term with no deposit.
This budget tool is intended as a guide and starting point only and is not in any way a finance quotation. Please refer here for our site terms.

ENGINE SIZE

Britain's fastest ever selfie

The high powered 170mph vehicle can accelerate to 60mph in just 2.3 seconds

Britain's fastest selfie: Grinning driver is banned from the road after filming himself hitting speeds of 100mph

Pictures show the grinning businessman who raced a £30,000 sports car around country lanes at speeds of 100mph while taking Britain's fastest ever selfie.

Fred Randles took photos of himself grinning and pointing down the camera lens as he raced around Chester in a hand built Ariel Atom kit car, despite his passenger pleading for him to slow down.

Fred Randles took a selfie of him driving his Ariel Atom at speeds of up to 100mph.

The 49-year-old, who was said to have seen himself as a 'Jeremy Clarkson figure', also filmed the high-speed drive on his phone, before proudly uploading the five-minute long footage to YouTube.

The high powered 170mph vehicle, which has no roof or windows, can accelerate to 60mph in just 2.3 seconds with Jeremy Clarkson once claiming on Top Gear: 'I have never, ever driven anything that accelerates so fast.'

But Randles, from Great Sutton, Chester, was rumbled when a member of the public spotted the footage and reported it to police.

Police then discovered that Randles had driven the vehicle 'at breakneck speeds' on the B5130 near Chester, as well as by Lake Bering and Nant Y Garth in North Wales.

He has now been sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, after admitting two counts of dangerous driving and one count of careless driving. He pleaded not guilty to three further counts of dangerous driving which the prosecution agreed to let lie on file.

Following his sentence, Gary Simpson, Senior Crown Prosecutor with Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, said that Randles had been caught out by his own 'vanity'.

He said: 'Mr Randles seems to have seen himself as some sort of Jeremy Clarkson figure, filming himself driving a high powered car at crazy speeds.

He did this on public roads in a way that put members of the public in very real danger. It was clear that his passenger was terrified and was telling Randles to slow down but he took no notice.

'He was filming himself throughout, obviously so that he could upload the footage onto social media to show off.

'It was this vanity that led to his downfall. A member of the public saw the footage on You Tube and told the police.'

He added: 'Anyone who sits behind the wheel of a car is in charge of a powerful weapon that can easily cause serious injury, even death. Randles' behaviour was dangerous and he is now paying the price for that.'

Chester Crown Court was told told he had built the vehicle himself after seeing it feature on the BBC motoring programme which described the vehicle as 'shockingly fast and skin-searingly exposed'.

In January 2014, a member of the public contacted North Wales Police, to alert them to the footage which showed him driving on the B4501 near Lake Brenig, on the border between Conwy and Denbighshire, between July 11 and September 22, 2013.

Randles was traced and a joint investigation was launched between North Wales Police and Cheshire Police.

He was arrested and the vehicle was seized, along with a computer, recording equipment and a helmet. Randles was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

He was disqualified from driving for 18 months and has to take an extended test as well as paying £2,000 costs.

Sgt Rachel Gallagher of Cheshire Police said: 'In one piece of footage the passenger is showing signs and speaking of feeling that he is in danger from the manner of driving. This was interpreted by a lip reader for the court.

What body type?

What year?

What's your Budget?

Total Price

Per Week

Calculations are based on an interest rate of 10% per annum over a 3 year term with no deposit.
This budget tool is intended as a guide and starting point only and is not in any way a finance quotation. Please refer here for our site terms.

Fuel Type?

ENGINE SIZE

Powered By

Driven is the destination for car buyers and motoring enthusiasts alike. Bringing you the latest car news, reviews and road tests, alongside the latest car dealer listings, Driven is the only place you need to go for everything motoring.